A Compelling Crew's Tale
by Guardian Samuel
Summary: Short stories within the GTA V universe using the characters of my crew mates.
1. Chapter 1

When someone brings up San Andreas, they might think of Vinewood, gang wars, prostitutes, or maybe even the rotting hell hole known as the Grand Senora Desert. And who's to blame them? When anything happens in Los Santos, the people will pin it on one of two gangs. The Vagos and the Ballas. Having a rich, bloody history in Los Santos, it's easy to blame them and move on with life. Very, very few, know what's going on behind the scenes. They're aware of the rich psychopath, Martin Madrazo, and the anti-social genius, Lester Crest. They know about the corrupt police officers and the illegal dealings being done with Merryweather. This small group, amongst others, know precisely what happened at those crime scenes attributed to gang activity. After all, they're responsible for most of them.

"Justine! You bitch! Give it back!" a lady screamed.

She lunged at the younger woman, who danced out of her way while inspecting the pistol.

"How can you rely on this tiny thing, sis?" she asked holding it out with her fingers. "It doesn't even look like it could pierce Billy's body armour."

The older girl growled at her and snatched the pistol away from her younger sister.

"I wouldn't expect someone who carries around an anti-material rifle to appreciate the usefulness of a pistol."

"I appreciate Caleb's pistol."

"That bulky thing is hardly a pistol."

"Come on, Roo, lighten up! I was just havin' some fun!" Justine exclaimed.

"Last time we had fun, Billy, over there went to the hospital for a gunshot wound!" her sister hissed.

"I'm still waiting for an apology." The man said staring at his phone.

Justine stuck her tongue out at the younger man. She walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge. It wasn't long before she closed it and swung her blonde head back with a cry of defeat.

"Does Narn _ever_ buy groceries?! All he ever has are these damned fake fruits!" she exclaimed picking one up.

"Of course I buy groceries. I just buy enough for myself." Stated a man coming in the front door.

Compared to those present, the man had a darker skin tone with his dark brown hair pulled into a ponytail. Many who meet him initially think he's of Native descent. He walked over to the PA system and pressed a button.

"Caleb, stop working on that junker and get up here. We have work."

" _Could you at least call it a classic? It'd make me feel a lot better about it."_

"Get up here."

" _Yes, sir, captain, sir. Right away, sir."_

"Without the sass?"

" _I'll leave it down here."_

"Thank you, now, I need you three in the planning room." he said turning to the other occupants.

Justine dropped the fake fruit back into the bowl and followed her older sister into the planning room. Billy stood up and pocketed his phone.

"Who's the job for?"

"You'll find out in a minute."

The young man shrugged and entered the planning room. Just after, the door to the elevator opened with a sharp ding. Out of it, stepped a man covered in grease stains. He pulled out a cloth and wiped his face, only getting more in his facial hair. Being the final one in, Narn closed the door and walked up to a large map. The other 4 stood around the room watching.

"Alright, everyone, I got a call from our favorite nerd a few minutes ago. Says some documents are trading hands up here at the house near El Gordo lighthouse in a few hours. He wants us to do the dealers a favor and relieve them of the documents."

"Have you got a plan?" Billy asked raising his hand.

"Lester was kind enough to source us some dirt bikes, so we're going to put them to good use. We'll all climb in the chopper and fly up to Mackenzie airfield. Once we're there, Caleb, Justine, and I will each take a bike for ourselves. Roo and Billy, you'll share a bike."

"Why is that?" Justine inquired.

"Well, Roo and Billy aren't going on an adventure like we are. The three of us will need all the versatility we can get. I'll lay out the plan of attack so you guys understand why. We'll all move together in formation up Grapeseed Avenue and break off at the bridge. Caleb and I will head left, going over the mountain, and ditching the bikes at the peninsula north of the house. Billy and Roo, will leave their bike underneath the bridge and move on foot to the small inlet. I hope you two are ready to get wet. Once at the inlet, you'll have to swim to the dock on the east side of the cliff. They won't be expecting an attack from the sea. Justine, I need you to split off right and, well, this might sound crazy, but you'll be climbing the San Chianski to set up over watch with your rifle. I would suggest leaving your carbine here. It'll only slow you down this time around. Any questions?"

"It sounds like we're going in quiet. Are we gonna need suppressors?" Roo asked.

"Thanks for reminding me actually. Yes, we will be using suppressors. Justine, you're obviously exempt from that. Grab one now and put it on. You might want to get a pair of night vision goggles too while you're at it."

Everybody walked over to their locker and grabbed their weapons along with a suppressor. Justine began bragging about her brand new thermal scope she bought for her rifle as they went about their business.

"You leaving your sweetums behind?" Caleb asked, talking to Narn.

"She's just a little too loud for this job. If they ever come up with a way to make explosions silent, then I might just give up my Special Carbine."

Caleb chuckled at the prospect and glanced at the map.

"There's not a lot of cover where we're going, huh? You're really banking on the stealth, huh?"

"Yeah… I am. Listen, there's a small defilade here that you can use for cover if need be. I'll stick to the right hand side. Lester sent me some satellite images and there are a couple of trees over there that I can use. Not the best cover, but it should do."

"What about when we're done? How are we getting out?"

"If things get hot, we'll radio Justine to leave the area on her bike and get your brother and Roo out in a car. You and I will hold off any reinforcements, wait for a window, and head for our bikes. That's only if things get hot. Which they won't."

"You instill confidence in us all." Caleb remarked.

Narn punched the younger man in the shoulder.

"Alright, everybody, if you're done modifying your weapon, go get changed into something more practical. I'll head out now and get the helicopter ready."

Narn grabbed his carbine and stuffed it in a bag with some extra magazines and a pair of goggles before leaving. Everybody who was in the room picked out an outfit from a crate and changed. They all did a last minute check on their weapons and followed after their leader.

Caleb looked over the side of the helicopter as they flew through the night sky. The sound of the blades chopping was the only thing he could hear at this point, but he'd grown accustomed to the noise. Ever since they bought the helicopter with money saved up, they had flown in it almost every other mission. It was a good means of transportation and extraction. In missions like this one, it was likely that one of them would have to go back and get it afterwards. The desert beneath them turned into the Alamo Sea.

" _We'll be landing shortly. Once we land, get to a bike and head for the bridge."_ Narn said over the radio.

Just as he said, they landed in the next few minutes. They all jumped out and hopped on a bike. Billy tossed a helmet to Roo as she neared their bike and engines were soon revving. Narn made a swift frontwards motion with his hand and they all took off. It took them about 10 minutes to reach the bridge. While Billy and Roo came to a stop, Caleb, Narn, and Justine blew past them on their own routes.

" _Hey, Narn, are you sure climbing up this mountain was a good idea? Won't they see me?"_

Roo hopped off the bike as Billy pulled it over to the side of the road and listened to the chatter.

" _More than likely, yeah, but they'll just think you're a daredevil with a death wish. They have no reason to suspect you. Once we're all in position, keep radio chatter to a minimum."_

Billy and Roo made their way to the inlet and quietly slid down the hill. It was only a few minutes before they reached the water's edge.

"Keep your head above water. Don't wanna destroy our earpieces." Billy said quietly.

Roo nodded and they slowly waded out into the cold sea.

" _Justine, are you in position?"_ Narn asked.

" _Putting my rifle together as we speak."_

" _Good, keep Roo and Billy informed of enemy positions. They can't see what's going on. Caleb and I are moving up to our position now."_

"Caleb and I are moving up to our position now."

"You say that, but it's hardly a position." Caleb said from behind him.

"It's the best we can do. We have the element of surprise from 3 different angles going for us. Alright, quiet down. We're here."

Caleb ducked left and crouched behind a large bush in the defilade. Narn pushed up a little further and laid down behind a small tree. They saw some light from a vehicle in the front of the house. Other than that, there were a couple guards hanging out near the pumpkin patch.

"J, what can you see?" Narn asked quietly.

" _Headcount is about 7. We've got 3 suits and 4 fatigues."_

Narn's brow furrowed and he looked back at Caleb who seemed just as confused.

"Did you say fatigues?"

" _Unless I've gone blind, those are definitely fatigues down there. Didn't Lester tell you who would be here?"_

"No, the nerd said nothing about that… Can you see the files?"

" _One of the suits is carrying a fancy lookin' briefcase."_

"That's our target then. You two get that?"

" _Suit with a briefcase? Got it."_ replied Roo.

"Alright, Roo and Billy, move up, don't engage. Radio silence from here on out. Justine, you see a shot to take when we start, take it."

" _Roger."_

The earpiece went silent. Narn twisted his body and pointed to the bush a few meters ahead of Caleb. Caleb nodded his head and slowly moved forward. The guards weren't paying attention at all. This helped move things along smoothly. Once in position, Caleb rested his sights on the left guard and held up 3 fingers. Narn focused on the guard to the right. 3. 2. 1. It was done. Two lifeless bodies crumpled to the ground. Caleb moved forward, followed by Narn. They each stacked up on a side of the house and peeked their corners. Caleb moved around, indicating there was nothing there. Narn saw Roo and waved for her to come to him.

"Billy?"

She pointed to the bushes hugging the picket fence and he noticed the barrel of Billy's assault SMG poking out. He nodded and followed Roo back to her position. Roo crouched down, allowing Narn to get a glimpse of their targets. They were all well out of range from cover. Narn quietly turned on his earpiece.

"On my mark." He whispered.

The briefcase began exchanging hands.

"Ready."

The suits and fatigues shook hands.

"Mark."

A loud bang echoed throughout the night sky, followed by a series of suppressed rounds. It was over before it began. Roo was the first one to move from cover as she lowered the smoking barrel of her Assault Shotgun. Billy stepped over the fence and followed her.

"Keep us covered." Narn said over the earpiece.

He lowered his rifle and stepped out to meet the lifeless bodies they had created. Roo and Billy were nudging them, making sure they weren't alive. Caleb had moved down the driveway a bit to make sure nobody drove up on them. Narn walked over to the briefcase and tugged it from the hands of the soldier. He looked at the patch on the soldier's arm.

"These guys are definitely from Fort Zancudo, but what are they doing out here getting documents from the feds?"

"Hey, Narn! We got what we came here for?" Caleb yelled.

"Yeah! Let's get out of here!" he replied. "Billy, Roo, take the jeep back to your bikes and torch it. We'll meet you back at the airfield."

They both nodded and hopped in to the Crusader.

"Justine, you should get going too. Meet up at the airfield."

" _Already on my way."_

"So, what do you think?" Caleb inquired, referring to the briefcase.

"Hell if I know, but this wasn't an ordinary mission. If it were the feds and some other group it'd pass as normal, but the army? This must have been an under-the-table deal or something. Maybe a corrupt officer looking to get some information he otherwise couldn't access. Shit, for all I know it could be a recipe for the world's best brownies."

"That'd be something." Caleb replied in a mocking tone.

"It would be. Well, whatever, we drop this off and the money will be wired to our accounts. Let's get back to the airfield."

* * *

The flight back was uneventful. After dropping the helicopter off, the group piled in to the crew van and headed for Lester's warehouse. On the way there, Billy started toying with the briefcase's locks.

"Damn, these are some complicated locks for a freakin' briefcase. Never seen anything like it."

"Try smashing it open!" Justine stated excitedly.

"No smashing." Caleb said. "Lester wants them in good condition, remember?"

Justine crossed her arms and began pouting. They pulled into Lester's warehouse and stepped out. Narn took the briefcase and shoved it in front of a camera. There was a loud buzzing noise and the door unlocked itself. They walked into a room off to the side filled with magazines and some fancy looking computer tech. A balding man rolled over to them in a wheelchair and ripped the briefcase from his hands.

"Nothing happened to it, right? You, uh, you weren't followed were you?"

"Have we ever been followed?"

The man glared at him, unamused.

"Ok, there was that _one_ time, but that wasn't our fault. Now, I think you owe us an explanation. What the hell was the military doing up there with the feds?"

"I don't owe you anything except the money… But, I suppose you are trustworthy enough. I hate to confide in thugs, but this was more than your average stockholders report or list of inmates to be sprung."

He rolled over to his desk and wiped a pile of papers off of it before placing the briefcase on it. He put a device on it and it began whirring.

"Have any of you ever heard of a railgun?" Lester asked.

"I think I have." Roo replied. "It's a gun that fires projectiles at enormous speeds using magnets, right?"

"Ehh, yes, more or less the general idea. Do you know why you never see anything like it being used in the military?"

"They were too large. They weren't practical enough for combat."

"Precisely."

"It's nice that we're getting to know more about unused weaponry, but what does this have to do with the documents we got for you?" Caleb asked.

"If you could shut up and listen I'd tell you!" Lester snapped back. "This briefcase contains research documents on the world's first mobile Railgun. This thing is like a rocket launcher only more precise, and a whole lot faster. You'd be able to carry more ammunition than your standard RPG as well."

"Let me guess. The military was going to sell it to the feds and they would end up selling it to some foreign country?"

"Well, yes, either that or make it themselves and sell it to terrorists. It'd give them a bump in their funding and as far as I know, it's all they fucking care about. White collar pricks. Your money will be wired to you shortly, now, fuck off."

The crew left the warehouse and it was immediately locked down. Lester didn't want anyone getting in. Once again, they climbed into the van and hit the road. They were all pretty silent for most of the trip until they pulled up to the garage.

"A railgun sounds pretty badass."

"Oh, hell yeah."

"Fucking sick."

"I could replace my rifle."

"That'd be awesome."


	2. Goodbye

"Go fish." A man said in a bored manner.

"We're playing blackjack." Another replied, though he didn't seem to care.

"Are we though?"

The other man sighed and set his cards down. He spun his chair slowly and stood up. The soft tapping of his shoes echoed throughout the shop as he strode over to a vending machine. Counting the change in his pocket, he came up short a few cents and turned to the man behind him.

"Just kick the damn thing. It'll cough up a couple of cans."

"I'd like to actually pay for it."

"We robbed banks for fucks sake and you decide to have a guilty conscience now?"

"We were in a crew, Caleb, and that was years ago. Six, to be exact."

The man at the vending machine kicked the side and watched as a few cans of Sprunk popped out. He picked one up and threw it at Caleb.

"Want to know why being a criminal is similar to us being brothers, Billy? We'll always be both of those. No matter what you do, you'll always be a criminal and my little brother. Stop trying to make right with the city before the city figures out who you are."

Billy mumbled something, probably a few choice swearwords and walked to the back of the shop, disappearing behind a door.

Caleb turned his attention to the cards in his hand and tossed them down.

"Blackjack." He said out loud.

"Hey, boss!" yelled a man from the front of the shop.

"What's up Rudolph?"

"My name is Rodriguez, sir."

"Whatever, Rudy."

The man sighed audibly.

"There's some mean lookin' guy out here askin' for ya. Says he's an old friend."

Caleb looked at the cards on the table and the door Billy went through, looking for an excuse to not go, but nothing presented itself.

"Alright, tell him I'm coming." Caleb said standing upright.

He slowly made his way to the front desk and began his rehearsed speech as soon as he opened the door.

"Welcome to C&B's Auto Shop. If you're here to complain about any shoddy work on your car, you can kindly fuck off. If you're here to get your car-"

Caleb stopped mid-speech and stared at the man in front of him. He closed his mouth and his face went stoic. The man before him was dressed well, almost as if he was attending a formal event, but Caleb would have recognized that face from a mile away.

"Rodriguez."

"Yes, sir?" he asked looking up from the computer.

"Close up for today and go home. I'll pay you for the entire shift."

"Uh, alright."

Caleb looked over the familiar man and pointed to the door behind him. The man nodded and followed him through. Rodriguez looked at the man with a puzzled look and wondered why he was so important that he could make the shop close early.

"Take a seat."

The man pulled up a rolling chair from Caleb's desk and sat in it. He took his gloves off and felt the texture of it.

"Hmm, quite an expensive chair for such a small shop. Almost makes you think the owners engaged in some unsavory deals in the past."

Caleb kicked the vending machine and a couple of different sodas came out. He picked up the cola and tossed it to the man.

"Oh, don't even try and pull that shit, Narn. You were the ringleader of those unsavory deals. The Pacific Standard job was basically put together by you and that four-eyed creep, Lester."

"That four-eyed creep helped make you rich." Narn pointed out.

"And I thank him for that, but that's as far as my respect goes for him."

"I don't blame you. He'd betray anyone as long as he was making a profit, but you can't hate him for that. It's just how that world works. We experienced that firsthand."

Caleb could hear his voice get quitter and more somber.

"Why did you decide to return now of all times?" Caleb started "It's been six years since that happened. Where did you go?"

"Nowhere and everywhere. To start, I had Madrazo liquidate most of my assets and then I left. I didn't really have anywhere in mind, so I decided to go to home. Back to Liberty City."

"What'd you find there."

"Nothing. Noting at all. My house there had been destroyed by rival groups and any relatives I had, well, they left. I stayed there, for about half a year before the gangs began to recognize me. Not wanting to start anything, I left. Bought the first ticket I came across and left."

"Where did that take you."

"Some foreign country. Ukraine, I think. I didn't really stay long enough to find out. Came back to America and settled down in a farm house somewhere in the Midwest."

"How's that been working out for you?"

"Pretty good… Pretty good. I'm married, as well. I told her everything and she still stayed. She's been good to me. Listen, Caleb, I came here to apologize."

Caleb put his hand up to stop him.

"I know, and I don't want to hear it."

"Caleb, it's my fault, I have to take responsibility."

"No, it's not. No one is at fault for what happened. No one could have predicted it. We rolled the dice and got unlucky. That's it. There's nothing more to it."

Narn sighed and scratched his head.

"How's Billy been?"

"He's been good, though, you already knew that didn't you?"

"You know?"

"Billy and I grew up in Los Santos, Narn. We know when something's up with the city. You had feelers sweeping the city for information on us. Looks like you haven't given up on all your ties to the criminal underworld."

Narn shrugged.

"Hey, Narn, did you happen to keep track of Justine after you left?" Caleb asked hesitantly.

"She's alright, if that's what you're asking. She came with me to Liberty City and settled down there. She doesn't really contact me that much, but I still have some old friends there who are watching over her for me."

"That's good. She must have taken it the hardest out of us all."

"She has a strong will. She was probably out of it for a while, but there's really nothing stopping her from making a full recovery."

Caleb started picking up the cards on the table and put them away in a drawer.

"So, what are you here for? I doubt you would have come all the way here just for a chat."

Narn set his soda down and got out of the chair. He walked over to Caleb's desk and pulled out a combat pistol that was hidden away in a drawer.

"Reliable little thing isn't it? Got us out of some tough situations back in the day."

"Narn, why are you here?" Caleb asked again.

"…"

"Narn."

"I already told you I've liquidated my assets. Everything should be done, right? Wrong. There's still something I have to do. I can't do it anywhere else except here in Los Santos. I have to apologize. Not to you or Billy. I have to apologize to her."

Caleb stared at Narn as he set the pistol down. He could tell Narn was determined and nothing would change his mind. His old leader, his friend, turned and began to leave.

"Hey, Narn, it was good seeing you. You should visit again, when Billy isn't sleeping."

"Sorry, but I think this is the last trip I make to this city."

Caleb saw him out and stopped in his tracks when he saw the vehicle his old friend had come in. It was the armoured car they all dubbed 'Penny'. It had been Caleb's big project ever since he joined Narn's crew. It was completed shortly before they pulled off the Pacific Standard job and they used it for just about everything afterwards. It was his crown jewel. Caleb had the biggest smile on his face as his friend left.

Narn sped down the roads of Los Santos, weaving in and out of traffic with ease. It wasn't long before he arrived at his destination. He pulled over to the side of the road and stepped out. In front of him was a place he never thought he would go to until it was his time. Vinewood Cemetery. Opening the gate, he slowly made his way through gravestones. Some were worn down with age while others gleamed in the sunshine. With every step taken, dread seemed to get a stronger grip on him. At some point, Narn, found himself in front of her.

'Roo – A good friend, taken from this world too early.'

Narn kneeled down and laid a single flower with a note attached in front of the grave. He stayed kneeling for a few more minutes before standing up and leaving. The breeze picked up just enough to flip the note as he left.

'I won't ask for your forgiveness. Your death, your blood, is on my hands. I knew something was suspicious about the job, but I still took it. I won't ask for your forgiveness, but I want you to know that I forgive myself. I can't keep going on feeling guilty. Eventually, it was going to destroy me. I hope you can do the same. Goodbye.'


End file.
